Paper product dispensing system and related methods

ABSTRACT

A system for dispensing paper product at a food-selling establishment. The system includes a point-of-sale device for entering details of a particular sale transaction, with the point-of-sale device being configured to output a slip containing specific indicia associated with the particular sale transaction. A dispenser of paper product is configured to obtain information from the specific indicia on the slip and to dispense a predetermined quantity of paper product in response to the obtained information.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is generally related to dispensers and, moreparticularly, to dispensers of paper product and methods for dispensingsuch paper product.

BACKGROUND

Retail operations and, more specifically, food establishments such ascafeterias, convenience stores, and fast-food restaurants that sell fooditems, are known to furnish paper product with the food items beingsold. This paper product, such as napkins or paper towels, is furnishedso that the customers may be able to wipe their hands and faces duringand/or after consumption of the food items being purchased by them.

Some food establishments make manual dispensers available in or aroundthe point-of-sale and/or eating areas in which the food items aretypically consumed. In operations of that type, the food establishmenthas no control over the number of paper product taken by each customer.This often results in customers taking more paper product than arenecessary to wipe their hands and/or faces during or after consuming thefood items that are purchased from the food establishment. Unused paperproduct are often found at tables or other areas of the establishmentand discarded. Alternatively, customers may take extra paper product,either to carry on their persons or to take to their offices orautomobiles, all of which adds to the operating costs of theestablishment.

In an attempt to prevent the waste of paper product associated withmanual dispensing, some food establishments have stopped providingmanual, customer accessible dispensers, and instead now rely on theircashiers to dispense the paper product. Unfortunately, it is difficultfor cashiers to accurately and quickly control the amount of paperproduct provided to customers, and also difficult to provide customers aquantity of paper product that is commensurate with the purchased fooditems. Manual dispensing of paper product in operations of this type isconsequently ineffective, wasteful, and/or may lead to dissatisfactionon the part of customers. Additionally, manual dispensing of paperproduct by cashiers forces cashiers to consume time that would otherwisebe spent taking orders. This results in a less-than-ideal speed ofservice, which may also lead to customer dissatisfaction.

Systems have been proposed, in which a direct connection is establishedbetween a cash register and a paper roll dispenser, so that thedispenser dispenses a predetermined number of paper sheetsautomatically, based on a command received directly from the cashregister. A problem observed with those systems, however, is that thetask of collecting the paper sheets still falls on the cashier or otherattendants at the food establishment. This consumes valuable time, whichin turn slows down service.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide systems and methods fordispensing paper product that address these and other shortcomingassociated with dispensing of paper product at food establishments.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a system is provided for dispensing paper product ata food-selling establishment. The system includes a point-of-sale devicefor entering details of a particular sale transaction, with thepoint-of-sale device being configured to output a slip containingspecific indicia associated with the particular sale transaction. Adispenser of paper product is configured to obtain information from thespecific indicia on the slip and to dispense a predetermined quantity ofpaper product in response to the obtained information.

In specific embodiments, the point-of-sale device is configured to placeon the slip machine-readable indicia, and the dispenser is configured toread the machine-readable indicia to thereby obtain the information.Additionally, the point-of-sale device may be configured to place on theslip indicia in the form of a barcode, and the dispenser may have abarcode reader that is configured to read the barcode to thereby obtainthe information. The system may, in specific embodiments, include apoint-of-sale device that is configured to place on the slip indicia inthe form of a human-readable code, and a dispenser that includes a humaninterface for entering the human readable code, with the dispenser beingconfigured to dispense the predetermined quantity of paper product inresponse to information obtained through the human interface.

The dispenser may be configured to dispense paper from a roll mountedtherein, with the dispenser being further configured to dispense apredetermined length of paper from the roll in response to the obtainedinformation. Alternatively, the dispenser may be configured to dispensenapkins from a stack of napkins supported therein, with the dispenserbeing further configured to dispense a predetermined number of napkinsin response to the obtained information. Additionally or alternatively,the dispenser may be configured to obtain information from the specificindicia more than once, with the dispenser being further configured todispense the predetermined quantity of paper product only the first timethe information is obtained from the specific indicia.

In specific embodiments, the dispenser includes a tray, and thedispenser is configured to deposit the predetermined quantity of paperproduct onto the tray in response to the obtained information. Thedispenser may be configured to make the predetermined quantity of paperproduct retrievable by a user thereof from within the dispenser inresponse to the obtained information. The point-of-sale device may be acashier register or some other type of point-of-sale device. Thedispenser, in specific embodiments, is one of a plurality ofinterconnected dispensers, each configured to obtain information fromthe specific indicia on the slip and to dispense a predeterminedquantity of paper product in response to the obtained information.

In another embodiment, a system is provided for dispensing napkins at afood-selling establishment. The system includes a register for enteringdetails of a particular sale transaction, and a dispenser of napkins.The register is configured to output a slip containing a barcodeassociated with the particular sale transaction, and the dispenser ofnapkins is configured to read the barcode from the slip and to dispensea predetermined number of napkins in response to the read barcode.

In yet another embodiment, a system is provided for dispensing paperproduct at a food-selling establishment. A point-of-sale device is usedfor entering details of a particular sale transaction, and is configuredto output a portable display containing specific indicia associated withthe particular sale transaction. The system also includes a dispenser ofpaper product configured to obtain information from the specific indiciaon the display and to dispense a predetermined quantity of paper productin response to the obtained information. The display may be located on apackaging element associated with a food item that is sold as part ofthe particular sale transaction. Alternatively, the point-of-sale devicemay be configured to generate an image on a mobile device, with theimage including the specific indicia, and the dispenser may beconfigured to read the specific indicia on the mobile device and todispense a predetermined quantity of paper product in response to theobtained information.

In another embodiment, a dispenser is provided for dispensing paperproduct. The dispenser includes a main housing configured for supportingpaper product therein, and an input device for receiving informationdirectly from a user of the dispenser. The dispenser is configured todispense a predetermined quantity of paper product in response to thereceived information. The input device may include a barcode reader orsome other type of optical reader, for example. Alternatively oradditionally, the input device may include a panel configured formanually receiving information from a user of the dispenser.

In another embodiment, a method is provided for dispensing paper productat a food-selling establishment that has a point-of-sale device and atleast one dispenser of paper product. The method includes enteringinformation associated with a particular sale transaction into thepoint-of-sale device and outputting a slip containing specific indiciaassociated with the particular sale transaction. Information from thespecific indicia on the slip is obtained in the dispenser, and apredetermined quantity of paper product is dispensed from the dispenserin response to the obtained information.

The method may include the point-of-sale device outputting a slipcontaining machine-readable indicia associated with the particular saletransaction, and the dispenser reading the machine-readable indicia fromthe slip. In specific embodiments, the method includes outputting a slipcontaining a barcode associated with the particular sale transaction,and the dispenser reading the barcode from the slip to obtain theinformation. Additionally or alternatively, the method may includeoutputting a slip containing a human-readable code associated with theparticular sale transaction, and obtaining the human-readable code fromthe slip in the dispenser.

In specific embodiments, dispensing a predetermined quantity of paperproduct from the dispenser includes dispensing a predetermined length ofpaper from a roll supported in the dispenser. In other embodiments,dispensing a predetermined quantity of paper product from the dispenserincludes dispensing a predetermined number of napkins from a stack ofnapkins supported in the dispenser. The method may also includeobtaining information in the dispenser from the specific indicia on theslip a second time, recognizing that paper product has previously beendispensed by the dispenser in response to information obtained from thespecific indicia, and withholding paper product from being dispensed bythe dispenser in response to that recognition.

In other specific embodiments, dispensing a predetermined quantity ofpaper product from the dispenser includes the dispenser transferring thepaper product onto a tray for retrieval by a user. Dispensing apredetermined quantity of paper product from the dispenser mayalternatively include making the predetermined quantity of paper productavailable for retrieval from within the dispenser. In other embodiments,the method includes receiving and storing the slip into the interior ofthe dispenser.

In another embodiment, a method is provided for dispensing paper productat a food-selling establishment that has a point-of-sale device and atleast one dispenser of paper product. The method includes enteringinformation associated with a particular sale transaction into thepoint-of-sale device, and outputting a portable display containingspecific indicia associated with the particular sale transaction.Information is obtained in the dispenser from the specific indicia onthe portable display, and a predetermined quantity of paper product isdispensed from the dispenser in response to the obtained information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objectives and features of the invention will become more readilyapparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a system and method for dispensing paperproduct in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a slip produced by a point-of-sale device of thesystem of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a slip produced by a point-of-sale device of thesystem of FIG. 1, in accordance with another embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a dispenser of paper product inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a dispenser of paper product inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is perspective view of a dispenser of paper product in accordancewith yet another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a dispenser of paper product inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a dispenser of paper product inaccordance with yet another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic representation of different components of a systemfor dispensing paper product in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an exemplary portable display inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an exemplary portable display inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an exemplary portable display inaccordance with yet another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this writtendocument conflicts with any meaning or definition of the term in adocument incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assignedto the term in this written document shall govern. Also, it is to beunderstood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for thepurpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The useof “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof hereinis meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalentsthereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limitedotherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled”and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct andindirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further,“connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanicalconnections or couplings.

With reference to the figures, and more particularly to FIG. 1, anexemplary system 10 is illustrated for dispensing paper product at afood-selling establishment, such as a fast-food restaurant, a cafeteria,or a delicatessen. System 10 includes a point-of-sale device 12 and adispenser 14 of paper product 16. As used herein, the term “paperproduct” and related terms refer to a thin substrate made of cellulosefiber paper, and also refer to other dry or moist substrates, made forexample of a nonwoven material. The term “paper product” is intendedalso to refer to moist towelettes that are conventionally individuallywrapped. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the point-of-sale device12 is in the form of a cash register, although it is contemplated thatother integrated, single-component or multiple-component devices may beused instead, and still be considered a point-of-sale device within thescope of the present disclosure.

For example, and without limitation, another exemplary point-of-saledevice (not shown) may be made up of a desktop computer, anothernon-portable device, or a portable device, such as a laptop computer, amobile phone, or an electronic tablet, that is connected through a wiredor wireless connection to a printer or some other output-generatingcomponent, configured to output portable displays containing informationassociated with particular transactions. The dispenser 14 of paperproduct 16 may be of any type typically found at food-sellingestablishments. In this regard, and as described in further detailbelow, the dispenser 14 may be configured to dispense individual napkinsseparated from one another, or may instead be configured to dispensepaper from a roll that is supported totally or partially within thedispenser 14. Further, in embodiments in which paper is dispensed from aroll, the dispenser 14 may be configured to dispense a predeterminedcontinuous length of paper, or may instead cut the predetermined lengthof paper into individual sheets at the time of dispensing. For example,specific embodiments of dispenser 14 may be configured to dispense acontinuous sheet that is about 100 cm in length, while other embodimentsmay be configured to dispense 4 sheets, each having a length of about 25cm.

The exemplary point-of-sale device 12 is configured to output portabledisplays in the form of slips 15 containing information associated withthe food-selling transactions. More specifically, a slip 15 may be inthe form of a receipt or proof-of-purchase document and contain, forexample, the date and/or time of a particular transaction, a list of theone or more food items purchased, the name, address and/or other contactinformation for the establishment, and an indication of the form ofpayment. Notably, the point-of-sale device 12 in this embodiment isconfigured to also place (e.g., print, stamp, crimp) on the slip 15specific indicia 20, schematically represented in FIG. 1, associatedwith the particular food-selling transaction for which the slip 15 wasgenerated. Alternatively, the point-of-sale device 12 may be configuredto generate slips 15 that contain only the specific indicia 20, while atleast substantially obviating additional information. In that regard,the term “slip,” as used herein, refers to a piece of paper or cardboardor similar flexible substrate (e.g., a tag, a sticker) or asubstantially inflexible substrate (e.g., a reusable or disposableplastic card) generated by the point-of-sale device 12, and whichcontains information. A slip 15 may be intended for use by a customer ofthe food establishment or, alternatively, by personnel of the foodestablishment, and still fall within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

A contemplated exemplary use of the slip 15 is in a drive-through typepurchase, such as is typically available at fast-food establishments,and in which the establishment has one or more windows staffed by one ormore attendants. In that type of operation, a dispenser 14 may belocated outside the establishment and accessible to customers fromwithin their vehicles. In this regard, a customer may for example payfor the food being purchased at a first window, and pick up thepurchased food items from a second window, with the customer receiving aslip 15 from the attendant at the first or second window. The customermay then proceed to another location in the designated vehicular pathfor drive-through purchases, to obtain paper product from a dispenser 14that processes the information contained in the specific indicia 20 ofslip 15. The dispenser 14 in that type of arrangement may be intendedfor direct interaction (i.e., self-service) with the customer, or mayalternatively be staffed by another attendant of the food establishment,who is in charge of receiving slips 15 from customers and obtainingpaper product from the dispenser 14 to give to customers.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, and further referring to FIGS. 2 and3, the specific indicia 20 may be a machine-readable code, such as alinear (1D) barcode, a bi-dimensional (2D) barcode, or a tridimensional(3D) barcode. As used herein, the term “machine-readable code” refers toa code, symbol, or group of symbols that is conventionally decipherableby an electronic reader configured for that purpose, and whichconventionally is not designed to be easily discerned and/or decipheredby an untrained human eye. In specific embodiments, a machine-readablecode is in the form of a number and/or letter or a group of numbersand/or letters hidden among other numbers and/or letters that are easilyidentifiable by an electronic reader, but not easily identifiable by anuntrained human eye. A machine-readable code, as the term is usedherein, may also refer to a magnetic strip, an RFID tag, a smart tag, ahologram, or a microchip, for example, which may be located in a slip ofthe types described above. A “human-readable code,” on the other hand,is used herein to refer to a code, symbol, or group of symbols that areeasily readable/decipherable by the human eye. In this regard, ahuman-readable code may be an easily identifiable symbol or group ofsymbols, a letter or group of letters, or a number or group of numbers,or combinations of symbols, letters, and/or numbers that an untrainedhuman eye may readily identify.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate exemplary embodiments of slips 15 a, 15 b thatmay be generated by the point-of-sale device 12. FIG. 2, in particular,illustrates a slip 15 a that includes specific indicia 20 a in the formof a 2D barcode, which is of a suitably chosen type, such as, andwithout limitation, Aztec, QR, or Data Matrix. The exemplary specificindicia 20 a is a machine-readable code and contains information that,as explained below, is used by the dispenser 14 to dispense apredetermined quantity of paper product 16, based on the food purchasefor which the slip 15 a was generated. The exemplary slip 15 a alsocontains additional information, schematically represented therein andassigned numeral 23, that is associated with the particular saletransaction. The additional information may be any of the typesdescribed above (e.g., contact information for the food-sellingestablishment).

FIG. 3 illustrates yet another exemplary slip 15 b, that includesspecific indicia 20 b in the form of a 1D barcode. The 1D barcode inthis embodiment is also a machine-readable code and contains informationsimilar to that described with reference to the specific indicia 20 a inthe embodiment of FIG. 2. Slip 15 b also contains specific indicia 20 c,which in this embodiment is in the form of a combination of numbers, butwhich may instead be a combination of letters, symbols or numbersdifferent from those illustrated in that figure, and still fall withinthe scope of the present disclosure. Specific indicia 20 c is ahuman-readable code that can be read by a user and entered, as explainedmore fully below, into a human interface of a dispenser 14. Thedispenser 14, in response to the received human-readable code, dispensesa predetermined quantity of paper product 16, associated with theparticular sale transaction for which the slip 15 b was generated. Slip15 b also has additional information 23 (schematically represented inFIG. 3), similar to the identically numbered element 23 in FIG. 2. It iscontemplated that a slip 15, 15 a, 15 b may have one or more types ofspecific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b, 20 c thereon which, alone or incombination, contain information that is entered by the user into thedispenser 14 for dispensing of a predetermined quantity of paper product16.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1-3, the exemplary dispenser 14(FIG. 1) has a sensor 24 located on a front face 14 a of the dispenser14, that is configured to read the specific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b. Inspecific embodiments, the specific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b is in the formof a 1D or 2D barcode, readable by the sensor 24, which is in the formof or otherwise includes a barcode reader/scanner. In use, a user 25obtains a slip 15, 15 a, 15 b generated by the point-of-sale device 12,and which contains the specific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b. When the user 25is ready and wants to obtain paper product 16 from the dispenser 14, theuser 25 waves the slip 15, 15 a, 15 b in front of the sensor 24, morespecifically by placing the specific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b in front ofthe sensor 24, until paper product 16 is dispensed by the dispenser 14.Alternatively, the dispenser 14 may generate a beep or actuate a light(not shown), to signal to the user 25 that the information from specificindicia 20 has been successfully received by the dispenser 14, and thatpaper product 16 is about to be dispensed.

In another embodiment, not shown, the user 25 inserts the slip 15, 15 a,15 b into a slot associated with the sensor 24. Upon reading thespecific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b within the dispenser 14, the dispenser14 dispenses the predetermined quantity of paper product 16 and eitherexpels the slip 15, 15 a, 15 b back to the user 25, or alternativelypermanently stores the slip 15, 15 a, 15 b in the interior of dispenser14.

Dispensing of paper product 16 may be such that the user 25 is allowedto retrieve, from within the dispenser 14, a predetermined quantity ofpaper product. This is illustrated by the right-most portion of FIG. 1,in which the user 25 is shown pulling paper product 16, either from aroll mounted within dispenser 14, or from a stack of individual napkinssupported in the interior of dispenser 14. To that end, and while notshown, dispenser 14 may have a mechanism that releases, for retrieval bya user, a predetermined length of paper product 16 from a roll supportedtotally or at least partially within the dispenser 14. In that regard,the user 25 may be able to pull paper product 16 (arrow 27) until apredetermined length of paper product 16 is reached, beyond whichdispenser 14 would not allow the user 25 to pull any additional paperproduct 16. The user 25 may choose to retrieve from the interior ofdispenser 14 the predetermined length of paper dispensed by dispenser14, or may instead choose to retrieve (i.e., by pulling) less than thatpredetermined length, thereby leaving the rest available for retrievalby a subsequent user.

Alternatively, if dispenser 14 supports a stack of napkins in theinterior thereof, the dispenser 14 may be configured to release aspecified number of napkins that are retrievable by reaching into adispensing mouth 14 b of dispenser 14. When the maximum specified numberof napkins is reached, no more napkins would be retrievable by the user25 through dispensing mouth 14 b. It is contemplated in that regard,that the user 25 may choose to retrieve from the interior of dispenser14 the predetermined number of napkins dispensed by dispenser 14, or mayinstead retrieve fewer than that number, thereby leaving in the interiorof dispenser 14 one or more napkins that are thus available forretrieval by a subsequent user.

Referring now to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, various types of paper productdispensers are illustrated in accordance with different embodiments ofthe invention. For ease of understanding, like reference numerals inthose figures refer to similar features in any of those figures or inthe preceding or subsequent figures. FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplarycountertop napkin dispenser 30 having a dispensing mouth 30 a fordispensing napkins 32 from a stack of napkins supported in the interiora main housing of dispenser 30. A sensor 34 is located on a sidewall 30b of dispenser 30, and is functionally similar to the sensor 24associated with the embodiment of FIG. 1, the description of which maybe referred to for an understanding of the functionality of sensor 34 aswell. In that regard, sensor 34 is able to read specific indicia 20placed on a slip 15. The location of the sensor 34 in dispenser 30 ismerely exemplary rather than limiting, insofar as sensor 34 may insteadbe located on any of the other walls making up the main housing ofdispenser 30, or be located in the interior of the main housing ofdispenser 30, and accessible through a receiving slot. Likewise, FIG. 5illustrates a tabletop napkin dispenser 40 that includes a sensor 44 ona sidewall 40 a thereof, with that location being also exemplary ratherthan limiting. Sensor 44 is functionally similar to the sensors 24, 34in the preceding figures, and is thus capable of reading specificindicia 20 from a slip 15 (FIG. 1). Tabletop napkin dispenser 40dispenses napkins 32, through a dispensing mouth 42 b, from a stack ofnapkins supported in the interior of dispenser 40.

With particular reference to FIG. 6, a wall-mounted dispenser 50 isillustrated that supports a roll 52 of paper in its interior anddispenses paper 52 a through a dispensing mouth 53 located generally atthe bottom of the dispenser 50. A sensor 54 is also located at thebottom of the dispenser 50, and is functionally similar to the sensors24, 34, 44 of the preceding figures. In this regard, sensor 54 isconfigured to read specific indicia 20 from a slip 15 (FIG. 1), when theportion of the slip 15 containing the specific indicia 20 is held infront of sensor 54. In response to that reading, the dispenser 50 isconfigured to dispense a predetermined length of paper 52 a, inaccordance with the information obtained from the specific indicia 20.While not shown, it is contemplated that paper 52 a may haveperforations or otherwise frangible lines defining individual pieces ofpaper 52 a.

FIG. 7 illustrates another exemplary wall-mounted dispenser 60, whichmay be able to dispense napkins from a stack of napkins supported in theinterior of dispenser 60, or individual sheets automatically cut from aroll supported in the interior of dispenser 60. Dispenser 60 has asensor 64 that is similar in function to sensors 24, 34, 44, and 54 ofthe preceding figures, and in this regard dispenses a predeterminednumber of sheets 65 (i.e., napkins or sheets cut from a roll) that arereceived on an exterior holding element or tray 66 of dispenser 60. Inuse, the user (not shown in this figure) places the specific indicia 20from a slip 15 (FIG. 1) in front of sensor 64. In response, thedispenser 60 dispenses the sheets 65 by depositing them on tray 66, forretrieval by the user.

An exemplary roll-type dispenser suitable for use with the differentaspects of this disclosure, and which dispenses a predetermined lengthof paper from a roll, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,704,616, entitled“Integrated Dispenser and Business Machine System.” An exemplary napkinstack-type dispenser suitable for use with the different aspects of thisdisclosure, and which dispenses a predetermined number of napkins from astack, is described in commonly-assigned U.S. Patent Publication No.2010/0224647. The entire disclosures of those two publications arehereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.

Referring now to FIG. 8, another embodiment of a dispenser 70 isillustrated therein. Dispenser 70 dispenses napkins 71 through adispensing mouth 73. A sensor 74 is located on a sidewall 75 ofdispenser 70, and is functionally similar to the sensors 24, 34, 44, 54,and 64 of the preceding figures. Notably, dispenser 70 also includes aschematically-depicted human interface 76, which may for example be analpha-numerical panel, a numerical panel, or another type ofuser-friendly panel that allows a user to manually enter information. Itis contemplated that dispenser 70 may alternatively have only the humaninterface 76, thereby obviating the sensor 74. It is also contemplatedthat either or both of the sensor 74 and/or human interface 76 may belocated elsewhere on the dispenser 70, with the locations shown in FIG.8 being merely exemplary. The sensor 74 may, for example, be located inthe interior of dispenser 70, and be accessible through a slot (notshown) into which the user 25 inserts a slip 15, 15 a, 15 b containingspecific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b (FIGS. 1-3).

With continued reference to FIG. 8, and referring again to FIGS. 1 and3, a user 25 may for example be able to enter a human-readable code,such as a multi-digit number found on the slip 15, into the humaninterface 76. Alternatively or additionally, the user 25 may be able toselect a symbol or group of symbols on the human interface 76,corresponding to the human-readable symbol or group of symbols found onslip 15. The human-readable code entered through human interface 76 intodispenser 70 is then processed by dispenser 70, as more fully explainedbelow, to dispense a predetermined quantity of paper product 16. Inspecific embodiments, in which a slip 15 has two different types ofspecific indicia, such as specific indicia 20 b and 20 c on slip 15 b(FIG. 3), a user 25 may be able to choose between having the sensor 74read the machine-readable code (specific indicia 20 b), or manuallyentering the human-readable code (specific indicia 20 c) into the humaninterface 76.

FIG. 9 schematically illustrates other aspects of an exemplary system 79for dispensing paper product. That figure, and the description thereof,are applicable to roll-type dispensers, napkin stack-type dispensers,and other types of dispensers of paper product. System 79 includes adispenser 80, which may be either a stand-alone dispenser or form partof a network of dispensers 80, 80′ that are all interconnected to oneanother. While the components and functionality of various componentsare described with reference to one of the dispensers 80, 80′, it isunderstood that one or more of those components or functional aspectsmay be found in some or all of the other dispensers 80, 80′.

The dispenser 80 has a controller 90 that receives and processesinformation, and executes commands, such as dispensing paper product oremitting signals to a user of the dispenser 80. To these ends, thecontroller 90 is operatively coupled to a reader (e.g., a barcodescanner) 92 that is configured to read machine-readable specific indicia20, 20 a, 20 b from a slip 15, 15 a, 15 b (FIGS. 1-3), and also to amotor 94, the actuation of which causes a predetermined quantity ofpaper product to be dispensed. Additionally or alternatively, thecontroller 90 may be also operatively coupled to a signal device 96,such as a light-emitting element (e.g., diode) or a sound-emittingelement that is actuated to let a user know when the machine-readablespecific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b from a slip 15, 15 a, 15 b (FIGS. 1-3)have been successfully obtained (e.g., read) by the dispenser 80.

With continued reference to FIG. 9, and referring back to FIGS. 1-3,system 79 also has a human interface 100, similar to the human interface76 of FIG. 8, that allows a user to manually enter information read bythe user from the human-readable specific indicia 20 c (FIG. 3). Thoseof ordinary skill will readily appreciate that while the exemplarysystem 79 has a reader 92 and a human interface 100, alternative systemsmay be devised that include only one of those two features, or includeadditional features, similar to or different from reader 92 and humaninterface 100, that allow the dispenser 80 to acquire information fromthe surrounding environment. Such alternative systems are considered tofall within the scope of the present disclosure.

In operation, once information is received by the controller 90 fromreader 92 or from human interface 100, the controller 90 accesses amemory device 98 (e.g., a random access memory device) that could belocated inside the dispenser 80, located in another one of thedispensers 80′, or at another location, so long as the memory device 98is operatively coupled, and thus accessible, to controller 90. Thememory device 98 in specific embodiments has a list that associatesinformation contained in the specific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b, 20 c witha predetermined quantity of paper to be dispensed. For example, andwithout limitation, the memory device 98 may have a list of all possiblespecific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b, 20 c that could be generated bypoint-of-sale device 12, and a corresponding predetermined number ofnapkins or length of paper product to be dispensed. In a contemplatedvariation, the specific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b, 20 c may contain aspecific number, letter, character or other symbol, or a string ofthose, that is sent by the controller 90 to the memory device 98. Inthat variation, the memory device 98 would have a list of that specificnumber, letter, character, symbol, or string, and a correspondingpredetermined number of napkins or length of paper product to bedispensed.

In yet another example, and also without limitation, the specificindicia 20, 20 a, 20 b, 20 c may contain a digit, at a specifiedlocation, that exactly corresponds to a number of napkins or to a lengthof paper product to be dispensed from a roll. In that embodiment, thecontroller 90 could obviate accessing the memory device 98 or any othermemory device, and directly command the motor 94 to dispense the numberof napkins (or length, in 6-inch increments for example) called out bythat digit from the specific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b, 20 c. Those ofordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that these exemplaryprocesses for associating information contained in the specific indicia20, 20 a, 20 b, 20 c with a predetermined quantity of paper product tobe dispensed are illustrative and therefore not intended to be limiting.Other such processes and schemes, with components similar to ordifferent from those described herein are similarly contemplated, solong as they permit the dispenser to process the information obtainedfrom the specific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b, 20 c to dispense apredetermined quantity of paper product. Such other processes andschemes are all considered to fall within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

The embodiments described herein obviate the need for employees of thefood-selling establishment to carry out the task of collecting paperproduct for the customers, insofar as customers are able directly feedinformation into the dispenser and to collect the paper productthemselves. This, of course, represents a time-saving measure for theestablishment, which speeds up service and may therefore lead toincreased customer satisfaction. It is understood, however, that thefood establishment may instead designate specific personnel for thedispensing of paper product, who carry out the task of waving thespecific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b, 20 c in front of a dispenser so as toobtain the predetermined quantity of paper product out of a dispenser.

The embodiments described herein allow customers to get the paperproduct they need at a time of their choosing, rather than at the sametime that the food is dispensed. This may be desirable, for example, insituations in which the purchased food item includes a drink, whichwould otherwise cause a paper product dispensed with the drink to becomewet (by spilling or by condensation—in the case of cold drinks). Inaddition to the above, the embodiments described herein may allow acustomer to obtain paper product from a dispenser of their choosing. Forexample, a customer may wish to obtain paper product from a dispenserthat is located near or sitting on a table occupied by the customer. Inanother example, a customer may wish to obtain paper product of aspecific form, dispensed by one type of dispenser, rather than fromother dispensers dispensing other forms of paper product. A customermay, for instance, choose to obtain napkins from a napkin dispenser,rather than a continuous length of paper from a roll supported within aroll-type dispenser, or pre-cut sheets from a roll also dispensed by aroll-type dispenser. In this regard, the exemplary network of dispensers80, 80′ schematically depicted in FIG. 9 would permit such type of use.More specifically, the dispensers 80, 80′ depicted in FIG. 9 may all beof the same type or may include dispensers of different types, therebydispensing different types of paper product in predetermined quantities.

In embodiments having a single dispenser 80 available (rather than anetwork of dispensers 80, 80′), it may be desirable for a customer to beable to obtain the predetermined quantity of paper product only once. Inthis regard, the dispenser 80 is configured to acquire the specificindicia through the reader 92 or through the human interface 100) everytime the specific indicia is waved in front of the reader 92 or manuallyentered, but the controller 90 is able to determine whether thepredetermined quantity of paper product has already been dispensed for aspecific purchase. For example, and without limitation, a configurationis contemplated in which, upon receiving information from a reader 92 orhuman interface 100, a unique identifier of the purchase transactionfound in the specific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b, 20 c is compared to anexisting list (stored in memory device 98, for example) of uniqueidentifiers. If the controller 90 finds the newly-received uniqueidentifier to be already on the list, it denies the dispensing of paperproduct. In this regard, the controller 90 may command the signal device96 to emit a signal to the user, indicative of such denial.

In embodiments having a network of dispensers 80, 80′, it may beadvantageous to make the memory device 98 in each of the dispensers 80,80′ of the network available to the controllers 90 of all otherdispensers, to prevent customers from getting the predetermined quantityof paper product from one of the dispensers 80, 80′ and then also fromanother one of the dispensers 80, 80′. To this end, embodiments are alsocontemplated of systems in which the dispensers 80, 80′ share one commonmemory device 98, which may be associated with a particular dispenser80, 80′ or external to all dispensers 80, 80′, and/or a commoncontroller 90, which also may be associated with a particular dispenser80, 80′ or external to all dispensers 80, 80′.

While the embodiments described above include the point-of-sale device12 generating a portable display in the form of a machine-readable codeor a human-readable code on a slip 15, 15 a, 15 b, it is contemplatedthat the point-of-sale device 12 may instead generate other types ofportable displays, all falling within the scope of the presentdisclosure. For example, and without limitation, specific indicia 20, 20a, 20 b, 20 c could be placed (e.g., printed, stamped, crimped) on apackaging element (e.g. wrapper, box, container) associated with thefood item being purchased or associated with the totality of items beingpurchased in a transaction. This is schematically shown in FIGS. 10 and11, in which each of a hamburger wrapper 110 (FIG. 10) and a coffee cup113 (FIG. 11) has specific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b, 20 c thereon. Theuser would in that case place the specific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b, 20 cthat is on the packaging element in front of the reader (e.g., reader 92in FIG. 9) or otherwise enter information from the specific indicia 20,20 a, 20 b, 20 c into a dispenser through a human interface (e.g., humaninterface 100 in FIG. 9) of the dispenser (e.g., 80, 80′ in FIG. 9). Inresponse, the dispenser 80, 80′ would dispense a quantity of paperproduct associated with the specific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b, 20 c on thehamburger wrapper 110 of FIG. 10 or on the coffee cup 113 of FIG. 11.

With continued reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, and further referring backto FIG. 1, it is contemplated that the point-of-sale device 12 may havea printer or similar element (not shown) that is able to place thespecific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b, 20 c on the hamburger wrapper 110 orcoffee cup 113, with the specific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b, 20 c beingassociated with the totality of the transaction. For example, the pointof sale device 12 may have a printer that prints a sticker containingthe specific indicia 20, 20 a, 20 b, 20 c. Alternatively, andparticularly useful for single-item purchases, specific indicia 20, 20a, 20 b, 20 c may be pre-placed (e.g., pre-crimped, pre-printed,pre-stamped) on a packaging element (e.g., hamburger wrapper 110 orcoffee cup 113), such that, upon completion of or during the saletransaction, the point-of-sale device 12 executes a command signalingthe cashier to use a specific packaging element of that type.

Yet in another example, illustrated in FIG. 12, the point-of-sale device12 may send information to a mobile device 115 such as a phone (e.g., a“smart phone”), a laptop computer, or an electronic tablet, that resultsin the generation of a portable display in the form of an image 117 onthe mobile device 115. The image 117 would contain specific indicia 20,20 a, 20 b, 20 c of the types described above with respect to the otherembodiments disclosed herein. This may be accomplished, for example,through the use of a specific readily available application (an “app”)pre-installed in the mobile device 115. When the user wishes to obtainpaper product from a dispenser, the user places the image 117 that is onthe mobile device 115 in front of a reader (e.g., reader 92 in FIG. 9)or otherwise enters information from the specific indicia 20, 20 a, 20b, 20 c into a dispenser through a human interface (e.g., humaninterface 100 in FIG. 9) of the dispenser. In response, the dispenser80, 80′ (FIG. 9) would dispense a quantity of paper product associatedwith the food item or items purchased, and for which the image 117 wasgenerated.

Advantageously, the embodiments herein described permit foodestablishments to provide customers a quantity of paper product that isin accord with the type and/or quantity of food purchased. In thisregard, the systems herein described may be configured to dispense asmall quantity of paper product for a food item that can be consumedwithout requiring much clean-up of the user's face or hands (e.g., a cupof coffee), and dispense a larger quantity of paper product for amessier food item, such as ice-cream. Similarly, it is contemplatedthat, as a matter of courtesy, a food establishment may configure apoint-of-sale device 12 to generate a portable display having specificindicia 20, 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, associated with a courtesy-quantity ofpaper product to be dispensed by a dispenser, upon request by acustomer.

While the above embodiments describe a food retail operation, theprinciples described herein are not so limited. More specifically, thesame type of systems, processes and components may be used in any othertype of retail operation or similar, in which there is a need todispense a predetermined quantity of paper product depending on the typeof purchase made.

From the above disclosure of the general principles of the presentinvention and the preceding detailed description of exemplaryembodiments, those skilled in the art will readily comprehend thevarious modifications to which this invention is susceptible.Accordingly, this invention is intended to be limited only by the scopeof the following claims and equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for dispensing paper product at afood-selling establishment, comprising: a point-of-sale device forentering details of a particular sale transaction, said point-of-saledevice being configured to output a slip containing specific indiciaassociated with the particular sale transaction; and a dispenser ofpaper product configured to obtain information from the specific indiciaon the slip and to dispense a predetermined quantity of paper product inresponse to the obtained information.
 2. The system of claim 1, whereinsaid point-of-sale device is configured to place on the slipmachine-readable indicia, and said dispenser is configured to read themachine-readable indicia to thereby obtain the information.
 3. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein said point-of-sale device is configured toplace on the slip indicia in the form of a barcode, and said dispenserhas a barcode reader configured to read the barcode to thereby obtainthe information.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein said point-of-saledevice is configured to place on the slip indicia in the form of ahuman-readable code, and said dispenser includes a human interface forentering the human readable code, said dispenser being configured todispense the predetermined quantity of paper product in response toinformation obtained through said human interface.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, wherein said dispenser is configured to dispense paper from aroll mounted therein, said dispenser being further configured todispense a predetermined length of paper from the roll in response tothe obtained information.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein saiddispenser is configured to dispense napkins from a stack of napkinssupported therein, said dispenser being further configured to dispense apredetermined number of napkins in response to the obtained information.7. The system of claim 1, wherein said dispenser is configured to obtaininformation from the specific indicia more than once, said dispenserbeing further configured to dispense the predetermined quantity of paperproduct only the first time the information is obtained from thespecific indicia.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein said dispenserincludes a tray, said dispenser being configured to deposit thepredetermined quantity of paper product onto said tray in response tothe obtained information.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein saiddispenser is configured to make the predetermined quantity of paperproduct retrievable by a user thereof from within said dispenser inresponse to the obtained information.
 10. The system of claim 1, whereinsaid point-of-sale device is a cashier register.
 11. The system of claim1, wherein said dispenser is one of a plurality of interconnecteddispensers, each configured to obtain information from the specificindicia on the slip and to dispense a predetermined quantity of paperproduct in response to the obtained information.
 12. A system fordispensing napkins at a food-selling establishment, comprising: aregister for entering details of a particular sale transaction, saidregister being configured to output a slip containing a barcodeassociated with the particular sale transaction; and a dispenser ofnapkins configured to read the barcode from the slip and to dispense apredetermined number of napkins in response to the read barcode.
 13. Asystem for dispensing paper product at a food-selling establishment,comprising: a point-of-sale device for entering details of a particularsale transaction, said point-of-sale device being configured to output aportable display containing specific indicia associated with theparticular sale transaction; and a dispenser of paper product configuredto obtain information from the specific indicia on the display and todispense a predetermined quantity of paper product in response to theobtained information.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the display islocated on a packaging element associated with a food item sold as partof the particular sale transaction.
 15. The system of claim 13, whereinsaid point-of-sale device is configured to generate an image on a mobiledevice, said image including the specific indicia, and said dispenser isconfigured to read the specific indicia on the mobile device and todispense a predetermined quantity of paper product in response to theobtained information.
 16. A dispenser for dispensing paper productcomprising: a main housing configured for supporting paper producttherein; and an input device configured for directly receivinginformation from a user of said dispenser, wherein said dispenser isconfigured to dispense a predetermined quantity of paper product inresponse to the received information.
 17. The dispenser of claim 16,wherein said input device includes a barcode reader.
 18. The dispenserof claim 16, wherein said input device includes a panel configured tomanually receive information entered by a user of said dispenser.
 19. Amethod of dispensing paper product at a food-selling establishmenthaving a point-of-sale device and at least one dispenser of paperproduct, the method comprising: entering information associated with aparticular sale transaction into the point-of-sale device; outputting aslip containing specific indicia associated with the particular saletransaction; obtaining information in the dispenser from the specificindicia on the slip; and dispensing, in response to the obtainedinformation, a predetermined quantity of paper product from thedispenser.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein outputting the slipincludes outputting a slip containing machine-readable indiciaassociated with the particular sale transaction, and obtaininginformation in the dispenser includes the dispenser reading themachine-readable indicia from the slip.
 21. The method of claim 20,wherein outputting the slip includes outputting a slip containing abarcode associated with the particular sale transaction, and obtaininginformation in the dispenser includes the dispenser reading the barcodefrom the slip.
 22. The method of claim 19, wherein outputting the slipincludes outputting a slip containing a human-readable code associatedwith the particular sale transaction, and obtaining information in thedispenser includes obtaining the human-readable code from the slip inthe dispenser.
 23. The method of claim 19, wherein dispensing apredetermined quantity of paper product from the dispenser includesdispensing a predetermined length of paper from a roll supported in thedispenser.
 24. The method of claim 19, wherein dispensing apredetermined quantity of paper product from the dispenser includesdispensing a predetermined number of napkins from a stack of napkinssupported in the dispenser.
 25. The method of claim 19, furthercomprising: obtaining information in the dispenser from the specificindicia on the slip a second time; recognizing that paper product haspreviously been dispensed by the dispenser in response to informationobtained from the specific indicia; and withholding paper product frombeing dispensed by the dispenser in response to that recognition. 26.The method of claim 19, wherein dispensing a predetermined quantity ofpaper product from the dispenser includes the dispenser transferring thepaper product onto a tray for retrieval by a user.
 27. The method ofclaim 19, wherein dispensing a predetermined quantity of paper productfrom the dispenser includes making the predetermined quantity of paperproduct available for retrieval from within the dispenser.
 28. Themethod of claim 19, wherein obtaining information in the dispenser fromthe specific indicia includes the dispenser receiving the slip in theinterior thereof, the method further comprising: storing the slip in theinterior of the dispenser.
 29. A method of dispensing paper product at afood-selling establishment having a point-of-sale device and at leastone dispenser of paper product, the method comprising: enteringinformation associated with a particular sale transaction into thepoint-of-sale device; outputting a portable display containing specificindicia associated with the particular sale transaction; obtaininginformation in the dispenser from the specific indicia on the portabledisplay; and dispensing, in response to the obtained information, apredetermined quantity of paper product from the dispenser.